NFL Rumors: Philadelphia Eagles Interested in Olympic Sprinter Jeff Demps
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the fastest teams in the National Football League.
Among the team’s starters, quarterback Michael Vick, running back LeSean McCoy, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, and cornerback Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie rank among the quickest players at their respective positions.
The majority of the offensive and defensive linemen are undersized and quick, as are the linebackers.
So it makes sense that the Eagles would be interested in Jeff Demps, one of the fastest sprinters in the world.
Demps won a silver medal on the United States 400-meter relay team at the Olympics last weekend. But he has announced his intent to focus on a career in professional football, making him a free agent who is eligible to sign with the highest bidder of the 32 teams in the league.
Demps officially filed paperwork with the NFL on Tuesday, and a team official revealed that the Eagles were intrigued in Demps, although it would probably be a long shot for the team to actually sign him.
Demps stands 5’7 and weighs 190 pounds. He played at the University of Florida from 2008 to 2011, during the Tim Tebow era, and helped the Gators win a national championship. Current Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper was one of his teammates.
Over his four seasons, he carried a total of 365 times for 2470 yards and 23 touchdowns, an average of 6.76 yards per carry.
Considering that he barely carried the ball during college, compared to a lot of current running backs, his body doesn’t have the same wear and tear of a normal NFL player. But he also likely wouldn’t have been even drafted in April had he not chosen to compete in the Olympics.
It would be highly unlikely for the Eagles to sign Demps for this season. They don’t need a backup running back because Dion Lewis, Bryce Brown, and Chris Polk, all 23 years or younger, are competing for two spots. And both return positions are filled.
But if there remains a glimmer of hope that the Eagles could pursue Demps, it’s the drafting of wide receiver and return specialist Jeremy Bloom, the Olympics skiier who the Eagles chose in the fifth round of the 2006 draft.
Bloom’s career in the NFL didn’t pan out, but it doesn’t mean Demps will be a failure.
This article was written by Bryn Swartz, the top writer for the Philadelphia Eagles and a featured NFL columnist on Rant Sports. Bryn has written more than 1000 articles in less than two years as a member of Rant Sports. His blog, Eagles Central, was named the 2010 Ballhyped Sports Blog of the Year. To read a portfolio of Bryn’s best work, click here.
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